Boarding School
by BarbaraB
Summary: Cassie's parents send her to a boarding school. Unfinished


  
  
  
  
  
Hi everyone. First time in awhile I'm writing a long-story. This doesn't fit   
into my Revealed series. It's mostly about Cassie.   
  
My name is Cassie. To any normal person I look -. Let's skip the   
introductions, okay? If you're reading this you probably know about the   
Yeerks already.   
I walked through the front door of my house. I had been with the other   
Animorphs at a party that had nothing to do with saving the world. My mom   
was sitting on the couch. Uh-oh, she looked like she was waiting for me.   
She didn't look happy, but she also didn't look mad. That was a good thing.   
My dad peeked out of the kitchen. When he saw that I was home. He smiled,   
his smile told me everything; What they were about to say or do was   
important, it had to be done, and I wasn't going to like it.   
"What is it?"   
There was a short pause. Then my dad, surprisingly, spoke first. "School   
starts back up in less than a month." He was stalling. "We were thinking...  
I mean if your grades-"  
" You're not going to like this Cassie, but we're sending you to a boarding  
school."   
I picked my face up off the floor and waited for her to finish.   
"We're doing this because of your grades... and your behavior-"  
"-you're not being punished."   
" Right, this isn't punishment. It's because of your grades; they were   
dropping, a while ago, then they came back up."   
"That's when we first considered this. Now that your grades are low again,   
we figured that maybe you need more discipline. "   
"And what do you mean by 'behavior'." I asked.   
"You come home late and you lie to us. We try our best to find out what is   
going on, but then you give us more lies."   
"If your grades are honor roll material this year, and we see an   
improvement in you; we will let you go back to public school, but we're   
hoping that you'll like private school and want to remain there."   
"There's nothing I can do to change you're mind?" I asked.   
"No."   
" No way I can get out of this."   
"No."   
I looked to my dad.   
"Sorry honey, this has to be done." He reached in his back pocket and   
handed me a brochure.   
I shrugged and started up the steps.   
" Dinner will be ready soon." My dad said.   
"I'm not hungry, I ate at the party." I guess my parents thought they'd   
just leave me alone, because I didn't hear anything else from them. I   
went to my room and shut the door. I sat on the edge of my bed and turned   
on the television. I flipped through the channels. Nothing on.   
I looked through the brochure. I wasn't sure how I felt about my   
parents sending me to a boarding school. Going to a boarding school would   
make it very hard for me to fight the yeerks. It would help me bring up my  
grades.   
"Who's more important; me or the world." I asked myself.   
"The world."   
"That was a rhetorical question, Cass." I was talking to myself, not good.  
I realized I was still flicking past channels. I stopped. Skateboarding.   
Jake and Marco watched this sometimes, Bikes Boards and Blades. I   
muted the sound. I wasn't distraught about the whole thing. I was just   
worried.   
Chapter 2   
Eventually I must have fallen asleep, because when I woke up the sun   
was in my eyes. I got up and took a shower, and got dressed. I was just   
about to walk down the stairs. When I heard the sound of voices. I stood   
at the top of the steps and listened  
"She's still asleep." My mom said.   
"That must have been some hangover." I cringed. I was going to lose some   
trust points with my parents over Marco's little joke. I heard a series of   
slaps. Rachel was here too.   
"He's just joking Mr. and Mrs. ------- ." Jake said.   
"He'd better be."   
"Well, we've gotta' go."   
"Will you tell her to call one of us?"   
"Will do." My dad said.   
"Nice to meet you Phillip."   
"Yes ma'am. May am a. Nice meeting you again Mr. -------." The front door   
shut.   
"That kid is weird. He acted pretty strange when I first met him. Did you   
notice how he pronounced the words. Wha-urd-zuh"   
"He didn't seem strange to me, it's just some kind of stutter." I had to   
laugh at my mom's explanation. I heard the door open and shut a second  
time.I looked out the window to see five birds taking to the air. I also   
saw my dad's truck pull off, he was taking my mom to work.   
Cassie wake up.   
God, we weren't out that long last night.   
Marco, shutup. I'm just completely disgusted with you.   
It was a joke.   
Yeah, and we can't afford to have anybody's parents watching their every   
move. I'm already walking a thin line.   
If you're awake Cassie give us a sign.   
How original Tobias.   
Shut Up, Marco.   
I opened the window, morphed to osprey and flew out.   
Look who decided to join us.   
I heard your little joke. I said.   
You people have no sense of humor. Why don't you just kill me now   
Cassie.   
Hey Cass, since you don't like to take lives, howzabout I take the task   
off your hands? Rachel of course.   
What's up? I asked, changing the subject.   
Us. Marco said. We all ignored him.   
What? Can't we come to your door, asking if you can come out and play?   
Jake asked.   
Jeez, you guys are in good moods. By the way, the answer to your  
question, Jake is; no.   
Well, actually we kinda did. We came to tell you in advance that a bunch   
of kids are going to the Gardens tonight. All of us are going, we came to  
ask if you wanted to too?   
And if your not, is there some way we can use your get in free card?   
Marco!   
I'm there.   
So, what should the Animorphs be doing now?Marco asked.   
I don't know, but I've got stuff to do in the barn. See ya. I flew down   
into the little window at the top of the barn door. five birds of prey   
followed me.   
What are you doing? I asked.   
We're coming with you. Rachel said.   
We demorphed. I picked up the clipboard that my dad writes the stats for   
the animals on. My friends made themselves comfortable on the bales of   
hay. There was a silence.   
"So, my parents are sending me to a boarding school."   
"What?" Four voices asked me.   
What is a boarding school? Ax asked me.   
"It's a like college, except it's not." Marco said.   
Ax nodded, something he picked up from humans, like he understood.   
"They can't do this. Why are they doing this?" Rachel asked standing up   
with her hands on her hips.   
"Because of my grades...and behavior."   
"Your grades weren't even that bad."   
"I know." I said turning my back to them to reset a duck's splint.   
"What do they mean 'behavior'?" Jake asked a little calmer than Rachel.   
" Lying, coming in late, etcetera-"   
"You're a teenager!" Rachel.   
Calm down Rach. What can you do to change they're minds?   
"I asked already. Nothing. Except if I improve I can go back to public   
school next year."   
"NEXT YEAR?!" Everyone in the barn except Ax and me exclaimed.   
"What do we know about this school?" Jake asked.   
"Wait a minute." I ran out of the barn and up to my room. I came back and   
handed him the brochure. He looked through it.   
"You'll be able to come home from Friday night to Sunday, and holidays.   
It's not too far from here. You can leave campus from 4:00 to 8:30. You   
will have a roommate. I guess we can work with this. It's not as bad as we   
thought." He handed the brochure to Marco. Marco looked through it, then   
burst out laughing.   
"What" We asked. Marco tried to tell us, but he was laughing to hard.   
Uhh...What do you guys notice about all the kids in the pictures? Tobias   
asked us. Rachel snatched the brochure from Marco, and looked at it.   
"You're definitely not going to like this Cass." She tried to hide a grin,  
and handed it to Jake. He folded the brochure back up and handed it to me,   
he kept his head down the whole time. I narrowed my eyes and took it from   
him. Marco grinned like the Cheshire cat. They were watching me waiting   
for my reaction. I opened it, and looked at the picture. I let the glossy  
paper fall to the dirt floor.   
They were wearing uniforms. The girls wore skirts.   
Chapter 3   
  
That night my friends and I went to the Gardens on the bus.   
It wasn't as packed as it should have been on a Thursday night, but there   
were a lot of people there.   
"Let's go find our group." Jake said, referring to the kids who'd invited   
us.   
We found them at the front gates, they were just arriving. I only knew   
three of them, Sonya, Mason and Larry.   
"When'd you guys get here?" Larry asked.   
"We just got here." Marco said. We started towards the Falling Star  
This giant boat on a pole that swings back and forth. Tobias and   
I stood in line with our friends. He decided not to ride, and I was too   
short. We watched the group of people in front of us get strapped in. The   
ride started, slowly rocking at first, then greater and greater, finally,   
the boat spun in a complete circle and slowly came to a stop. The people   
exited to our right. Our eight friends, plus some other people, got on.   
Tobias and I walked around to the other gate as they got comfortable on   
the boat. The ride repeated the same process and came to a stop. Jake and   
the others flooded out the exit.   
"Ready for the next ride?" Sonya said.   
A group of girls aproached us. "You wussies sure missed out." One of the  
girls said, pointing to Tobias and me. She was of average height, and   
looked to be about 16. She wore a cocky grin. Her sunglasses were pushed   
up on her head, and she had a backpack, hanging-no drooping from her   
shoulders. Before I could open my mouth Rachel jumped in. "Excuse you?"   
She walked up to the shorter girl, and stood over her.   
"I wasn't talking to you." The girl said turning to face her.   
"You were talking to my friends."   
"I didn't know I had to go through their bodyguard-"   
"Look, I suggest you and your friends go terrorize someone else. Let's go,  
guys." I said. I turned and started to walk away. The others followed.   
"Don't walk away from me, girl."   
"Watch me."   
  
I could feel the girl glaring at me. The group of girls heard the sounds of   
us (minus Ax) laughing at them. " Go Cass!" Rachel yelled, "I didn't know   
you had it in you!"   
  
I knew of two rides in the Gardens that I was too short too ride:   
The Falling Star and Sasquatch; a rollercoaster. My   
friends rode those two first, then we rode the rest of the rides together.   
We didn't leave until the park closed at eleven. We hung out and didn't   
head home until 11:30. My parents told me to be home at eleven-thirty   
not start home at 11:30.   
'so what' I thought. ' they're putting me away for being 'bad' I might   
as well earn it.'   
I hid my clothes in the barn, morphed to osprey, and flew into my bedroom  
window. I landed on my desk.I concentrated, and started to demorph.   
Hands grabbed me. I froze and reversed the demorphing process.   
"Just let it go out the window, John." My mom's voice said.   
Why were my parents in my room?   
The hands, that I now knew belonged to my dad, put me out the window and   
tossed me into the air. I instinctly spread my wings and flew. My parent's   
must have been waiting for me to come home, and go up to my room.   
'ha' I laughed to myself. I demorphed on the ground in the shadows. I went  
to the barn and put my clothes back on. Then I snuck in the kitchen door   
instead of the front door. Because it made too much noise.   
I thought about what I was going to say once I faced my parents. Something   
occured to me and I ran up to my room. My parents were alone in my room.   
I didn't want them going through my things.   
I opened my door. They stared at me. "What?"   
"It's twelve." Said my mom.   
"I'm sorry."   
"Well, sorry isn't good enough. You're grounded."   
"Until?"   
"Until we feel you're ready to be off."   
"Is that all?"   
"Don't forget who you're talking to. Yes, that's all." They left.   
My dad hadn't said a thing.He let my mom say everything that needed   
to be said.   
My parents kept me grounded for about two weeks. Of course when   
we had a mission, I got one of the Chee to take my place.   
Chapter 4   
We weren't suppposed to get our dorm's until the second week of school.   
The first week of school.   
Since we started school one week before the rest of my friend's, against my   
strongest pleas, Rachel came over early the first day of school to dress me.  
She stood back and studied me, biting her bottom lip, with the school dress   
code in her hand.   
"Are you enjoying this?" I asked   
She nodded, "Very much."   
"They'll never go for it." I said, referring to how short my skirt was.   
"You have to have the attitude to pull it off. You can't just get the look  
and leave it at that." She thought for a second. "You know how well you   
handled that bitch at the park a few weeks ago?"   
I nodded.   
"Act like that. The tough Cassie."   
"Whatever happened to be yourself?"   
"Bullshit." She laughed. "I'm kidding." She looked over the dress code once  
more. "Okay, I guess you're all set....Oh, my gosh." She covered her mouth.   
"I am so good at this, you look awesome."   
~~~~~~~~~~~~~   
I waved bye to my dad, and started toward the school building.  
Five seagulls sat on top of the building.   
'God I don't want them to see me like this.'I thought.   
There were other kids going in too.   
Whoo whoo, who's the cute girl in the super short blue skirt?   
You mean her Marco? You're right she is hot!   
Man, if I had lips I would whistle.   
You boys are animals!   
That's right, she brings the Siberian tiger out of me. How about you Ax?  
It's Cassie. We see her everyday.   
Play along Ax.   
Ah, I see...She brings the human out of me.   
I tried not to break down in a fit of hysterics. I realized how quiet it   
became. That meant they were probably talking privately to each other.   
I looked up to where they were perched.   
one, two, three, go. They all began to sing off-key. Hit me baby one   
more time!   
'They don't know how bad I wish I had thought-speak.'   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
What do you think? Go to my (as of yet unfinished) Animorph site. www.gurl.com/1bobby1   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



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